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Shaar Hayichud Vehaemuna
Forewordלִיקּוּטֵי אֲמָרִים חֵלֶק שֵׁנִי הַנִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם חִינּוּךְ קָטָן
Likkutei Amarim Part 2 entitled Ḥinukh Katan (Education of a Child) Sha'ar HaYiḥud VeHa'emuna begins with a title page, in which the author of the Tanya, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, presents this section, part 2 of the Tanya, with the title Ḥinukh Katan, or "Education of a Child." In the introduction that follows, he will explain his reason for calling the second part of the Tanya by this name. Although it is part 2 of the Tanya, Sha'ar HaYiḥud VeHa'emuna deals with more fundamental issues than those discussed in part 1, Likkutei Amarim. While Likkutei Amarim discusses the soul and the deliberations of the individual seeking his path, Sha'ar HaYiḥud VeHa'emuna deals with issues on a big-picture level: the relationship between God and the universe, the concept of creation, and the dynamic between humans and God. Various explanations have been offered as to why Sha'ar HaYiḥud VeHa'emuna was not designated as part 1 of the Tanya. One reason is revealed here in the introduction: The purpose of hasidic works is not abstract, metaphysical speculation, but rather to serve as guidance for one's service of God. Therefore, the first part of the Tanya addresses immediate human concerns – practical service – and the second part examines their theoretical underpinnings.
מְלוּקָּט מִפִּי סְפָרִים וּמִפִּי סוֹפְרִים קְדוֹשֵׁי עֶלְיוֹן נִשְׁמָתָם עֵדֶן,
Compiled from the works and teachings of the holy masters, whose souls are in the Garden of Eden, As was the practice of other authors who wished to conceal their identity, the author of the Tanya does not state that he wrote this work but merely compiled it. Nevertheless, without a doubt, the Tanya is not a compilation. Rarely citing earlier sources, it presents an original perspective and line of thinking. It is commonly accepted that the "works" he refers to, besides the basic canonical texts, are the works of the Maharal of Prague (the author's antecedent by seven generations, father to son), Shenei Luḥot HaBerit by Rabbi Yeshaya HaLevi Horowitz, and Reshit Ḥokhma by Rabbi Eliyahu de Vidas. The "masters" refer primarily to the Maggid of Mezeritch, Rabbi Shneur Zalman's foremost mentor; Rabbi Menaḥem Mendel of Vitebsk, the Maggid's disciple and successor, who later moved to the Land of Israel; and the Maggid's son, Rabbi Avraham, famously known as "Rabbi Avraham HaMalakh" (Rabbi Avraham the Angel), who was both a peer and teacher of the author of the Tanya, Rabbi Shneur Zalman. It is told that Rabbi Shneur Zalman would teach Rabbi Avraham Talmud and halakha for two hours every day in exchange for receiving two hours of tutelage in Kabbala. Rabbi Shneur Zalman related that he would adjust the hands of the clock in his favor so that he could learn more from his teacher. He later commented that he never regretted those "thefts" of time.
מְיוּסָּד עַל פָּרָשָׁה רִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁל קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע
based on the first paragraph of the Shema Sha'ar HaYiḥud VeHa'emuna focuses primarily on the meaning of the word eḥad, "one," at the end of the first verse of the Shema. It reveals the divine unity that permeates every aspect of reality and traces its progression through the phrase "Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever," culminating in the directive to "love the Lord, your God.... "
״חֲנוֹךְ לַנַּעַר עַל פִּי דַרְכּוֹ גַּם כִּי יַזְקִין לֹא יָסוּר מִמֶּנָּה״ (משלי כב, ו).
"Train the lad in accordance with his way; even when he grows old, he will not turn from it" (Prov. 22:6). This verse, a cornerstone of educational methodology, will now be elucidated in a new light.
הִנֵּה מִדִּכְתִיב: ״עַל פִּי דַּרְכּוֹ״ מַשְׁמַע שֶׁאֵינָהּ דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת לַאֲמִיתּוֹ, וְאִם כֵּן מַאי מְעַלְּיוּתָא שֶׁ״גַּם כִּי יַזְקִין לֹא יָסוּר מִמֶּנָּה״?
The wording of this verse, "in accordance with his way," implies that it is not referring to the way of absolute truth. If so, of what benefit is it that "even when he grows old, he will not turn from it"? As he does in many places, the author of the Tanya begins his introduction with a question designed to elucidate rather than to challenge. Through this question, he emphasizes a specific facet of the verse quoted, and then he goes on to examine it thoroughly. The beginning of the verse, "Train the lad in accordance with his way," is an instruction geared toward the educator to adapt his teaching style and material to the level and disposition of his student. As Rambam explains in his introduction to Guide of the Perplexed, for didactic reasons an educator cannot and may not always explain the topic at hand in its entirety. He must partially conceal some of the subject matter, intentionally leaving it somewhat obscure. However, this directive seems to contradict the second half of the verse, "Even when he grows old, he will not turn from it." If the goal of education is to impart an indelible imprint that will not lose its value over time, the educator must transmit the content with the utmost accuracy and truth not necessarily compatible with the current level and "way" of the child. Furthermore, if the child learns according to his current capacity, he is at risk of being confined to these immature schema as he grows older. How, then, is it possible to educate "in accordance with his way" in a manner that will also befit him "even when he grows old" so that "he will not turn from it"?
אַךְ הִנֵּה מוּדַעַת זֹאת כִּי שָׁרְשֵׁי עֲבוֹדַת ה׳ וִיסוֹדוֹתֶיהָ הֵן דְּחִילוּ וּרְחִימוּ:
However, it is known that the roots of the service of God and its foundations are fear and love. The author of the Tanya delves into answering the question by exploring the keys of cultivating faith and only returns to his question regarding the verse from Proverbs at the end of the introduction. He begins by pointing out that the basic impulses that lie at the root of cultivating heartfelt service of God, which even permeates the realm of interpersonal relationships, can be boiled down to love and fear.
הַיִּרְאָה – שֹׁרֶשׁ וִיסוֹד לְסוּר מֵרַע,
Fear of God is the basis and foundation of avoiding evil, Avoidance of evil, in all its forms and fashions, stems from fear. Although fear has many variations and levels, at its essence it serves as the impulse behind one's avoidance of evil.
וְהָאַהֲבָה – לְוַעֲשֵׂה טוֹב וְקִיּוּם כָּל מִצְווֹת עֲשֵׂה דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וּדְרַבָּנָן כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר בִּמְקוֹמָן
and love of God is the foundation for doing good and performing all the positive commandments, both those commanded in the Torah and those instituted by the Rabbis, as explained in the relevant place The definitive human expression of a person's love of God is the performance of the positive commandments. This love is expressed as a desire to be close to God, to achieve a deep and close connection with Him, and this is facilitated by the fulfillment of the commandments, as explained in several places.
(וּמִצְוַת הַחִינּוּךְ הִיא גַּם כֵּן בַּמִּצְווֹת עֲשֵׂה כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּ״אוֹרַח חַיִּים״ סִימָן שמ״ג) .
(and the mitzva of education itself is also a positive commandment, as stated in the Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim 343). Although a minor is not obligated to fulfill the commandments in his own right, it is a mitzva for his father to train him in their performance and guide him to avoid transgressions.
וְהִנֵּה בְּאַהֲבָה כְּתִיב בְּסוֹף פָּרָשַׁת עֵקֶב (דברים יא, כב): ״אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם לַעֲשׂוֹתָהּ, לְאַהֲבָה אֶת ה׳״ וגו׳.
With regard to love, it is written at the end of Parashat Ekev , "That I command you to perform it, to love the Lord your God... " (Deut. 11:22). One of the mitzvot we are commanded to perform is to love God. Ostensibly this is a commandment like any other. However, anyone who endeavors to fulfill it and examines its implications realizes the complexity of this undertaking.
וְצָרִיךְ לְהָבִין אֵיךְ שַׁיָּיךְ לְשׁוֹן עֲשִׂיָּיה גַּבֵּי אַהֲבָה שֶׁבַּלֵּב.
It is necessary to understand how the expression of "performing" employed by the verse applies to love of the heart. When God commands us to don tefillin or shake the lulav, the intent is clear: Execute a specific action. However, the mitzva to love God is another matter entirely. The term "perform" does not apply to love. Love is an emotion, not an action. Moreover, love is a spontaneous feeling, subject to the heart's disposition. One either loves or does not love. How can the Torah speak of generating love, using such a concrete term as la'asota, "to perform it"? To unravel this fundamental issue, we must cultivate a deeper understanding of the concept of love for God and where it stems from in the heart.
אַךְ הָעִנְיָן הוּא דְּיֵשׁ שְׁנֵי מִינֵי אַהֲבַת ה׳. הָאַחַת, הִיא כְּלוֹת הַנֶּפֶשׁ בְּטִבְעָהּ אֶל בּוֹרְאָהּ.
However, the fact of the matter is that there are two types of love of God. The first is the soul's innate pining for its Creator. Underlying the countless variations of love for God are two basic levels. The first level of love, as the author of the Tanya goes on to delineate, stems from the very essence of the soul and its intrinsic connection with God. The human soul, a portion of the Divine, has an innate drive to draw close and bond to the source of its existence as much as possible. This sentiment is referred to as the "soul's pining," because the soul thirsts to become subsumed in its source, even at the cost of the total nullification of its individual identity, intentional or not.
כַּאֲשֶׁר תִּתְגַּבֵּר נֶפֶשׁ הַשִּׂכְלִית עַל הַחוֹמֶר וְתַשְׁפִּילֵהוּ וְתַכְנִיעֵהוּ תַּחְתֶּיהָ,
When the rational soul prevails over the physical body, subjugating and subduing it, This love is not apparent in every person at any given time, because a human being is not comprised of a pure soul alone. The human soul, cloaked by layer upon layer of physical desires and cravings, is pulled in many directions, which do not necessarily all oppose the innate course of the soul – its yearning for its Creator – but they do differ from it. Since matter is drawn toward matter, the body focuses only on fulfilling its physical and biological needs. Bodily desire dulls and conceals the yearnings of the soul to such a degree that sometimes a person becomes nothing more than an expanded expression of his body. At that point, despite all his intrinsic spiritual capabilities, the person is reduced to a bundle of biological drives, no different from a wild beast. Likewise, the human soul, which is attached to the body, can become subservient to the body and its desires, until it too becomes no more than the spiritual expression of the body, its faculties directed to aid the body in achieving its desires. Only when the rational soul overcomes the corporeal body, and the material ceases to be the exclusive subject of a person's thoughts and desires, when the body is no longer the dominant voice in the body-soul dynamic, when the pure voice of the soul itself is finally heard, then a person can feel the love of the soul pining for its Creator.
אֲזַי תִּתְלַהֵב וְתִתְלַהֵט בְּשַׁלְהֶבֶת הָעוֹלָה מֵאֵלֶיהָ, וְתָגֵל וְתִשְׂמַח בַּה׳ עוֹשָׂהּ וְתִתְעַנֵּג עַל ה׳ תַּעֲנוּג נִפְלָא.
then it will be aroused and set ablaze with a flame that rises on its own. The soul will then exult and rejoice in God, its Maker, delighting in God with wondrous bliss. Once the veil of the physical is lifted, this love for God is aroused automatically. There is no need for any contemplation or action to generate it. The soul's love of God, its Creator and its source, does not require any explanations or clarification. The essential soul by nature speaks, acts, and pulses with this yearning. The soul's pining to cleave to God, yearning, thinking, dreaming of God as if nothing else exists, becomes the center of the soul's existence and the core of its vitality. Nothing gives it pleasure other than close proximity to God, as the divinely inspired poet King David declared, "As for me, nearness to God is good" (Ps. 73:28). His description of "good" does not refer merely to a reward, both in this world and in the next, as payment for seeking closeness with God. It is the natural outcome of achieving this love, the palpable feeling in the soul that God is real. No pleasure or love can surpass this feeling, which is the epitome of connection – God is here! And there is nothing more that a person could ever want.
וְהַזּוֹכִים לְמַעֲלַת אַהֲבָה רַבָּה זוֹ הֵם הַנִּקְרָאִים צַדִּיקִים כְּדִכְתִיב ״שִׂמְחוּ צַדִּיקִים בַּה׳״ (תהלים צז, יב).
Those who merit achieving the level of this great love are the ones who are called tzaddikim (righteous), as it is written, "Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones" (Ps. 97:12). This love, which stems from the awareness that God is present in the world, and this deep feeling of delight, which stems from closeness to God alone, is a very rare level.
אַךְ לֹא כָּל אָדָם זוֹכֶה לָזֶה, כִּי לָזֶה צָרִיךְ זִיכּוּךְ הַחוֹמֶר בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד.
However, not every person merits this, since attaining this level demands refining the physical body to an extreme degree. This level that the tzaddik achieves is not one that the average person can acquire. Most people cannot merit the experience of this type of love for two reasons. First, to reach the level in which the soul experiences the sublime joy that comes from closeness to God, the body must not interfere. The body need not disappear, because, after all, a living person needs his body to function, but rather the body must be refined to the degree that it will cease to be a pitfall of distraction, constantly pulling the soul in other directions. At the very least, the body must integrate and identify with the soul's desire so that rather than presenting itself as an obstacle, it becomes an accessory for the harmony that is engendered within the soul when the body aligns with the soul's aspirations.
וְגַם תּוֹרָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים הַרְבֵּה לִזְכּוֹת לִנְשָׁמָה עֶלְיוֹנָה שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מִמַּדְרֵגַת רוּחַ וְנֶפֶשׁ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּרֵאשִׁית חָכְמָה, שַׁעַר הָאַהֲבָה.
It also demands much Torah study and good deeds to merit a supernal neshama -level soul, which is beyond the level of the nefesh- and ruaḥ -level souls, as stated in Reshit Ḥokhma, in Sha'ar HaAhava (chap. 3). Refinement of the body is not sufficient. A person must also achieve a conscious revelation of his supernal soul, what the author of the Tanya refers to as "the neshama -level soul." The experience of innate love unleashed automatically cannot be attained by the lower levels of the soul. Therefore, in addition to breaking the barrier of the body, something more internal and essential is necessary: the revelation of a higher soul-level, that of the neshama.
וְהַשֵּׁנִית הִיא אַהֲבָה שֶׁכָּל אָדָם יוּכַל לְהַגִּיעַ אֵלֶיהָ,
The second type is love that any person can attain, The first type of love, achieved by a select few (the tzaddikim), springs forth by itself, like "a flame that rises on its own," as the author of the Tanya describes it above. This love of God is a natural outcome of their very existence in this world. There is, however, a different type of love that anyone can, and indeed must, arouse through the active work of thought and contemplation.
כְּשֶׁיִּתְבּוֹנֵן הֵיטֵב, בְּעוּמְקָא דְּלִבָּא, בִּדְבָרִים הַמְעוֹרְרִים אֶת הָאַהֲבָה לַה׳
when he thoroughly contemplates, in the depths of his heart, matters that arouse love for God To arouse the emotion of love, a person must contemplate specific "matters that arouse love," as the author of the Tanya will go on to explain. The author's two requirements for this contemplation are that it be carried out "thoroughly" and "in the depths of his heart." Contemplation is an intellectual activity, but it is not sufficient to merely ponder this idea occasionally; one must contemplate it "thoroughly." This entails not just getting a general impression that a concept exists, nor does it mean studying as if for an exam that one hopes to pass. Rather, one should intensely apply his mind to consider the matter repeatedly until he achieves a clear understanding of it from every angle and perspective. The second requirement is to contemplate these matters "in the depths of his heart," with the utmost seriousness and self-identification with the topic. A person could study this topic just as people study science: They may understand the material well, but they do not invest themselves in it in a way that spurs meaningful growth. However, the contemplation of this matter requires full focus and attention. One must connect with the subject matter and not treat it as an abstract intellectual exercise. Contemplating God the way one thinks about a mathematical construct will never trigger an emotional response. On the other hand, contemplating these ideas in the correct way will yield results.
בְּלֵב כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל.
in the heart of every Jew. Even a spiritually average individual can attain, with the proper measures, some level of love for God, simply by virtue of being a Jew. Attaining this love requires focused contemplation of certain ideas and personal investment in the endeavor as opposed to a detached academic study. The author of the Tanya now proceeds to outline the ideas that a person is meant to contemplate.
הֵן דֶּרֶךְ כְּלָל,
Whether it means contemplating, in general, The first approach is universal, not designated for a specific individual or a certain revelation of divine providence. It is a path that relates to any person.
כִּי הוּא חַיֵּינוּ מַמָּשׁ,
that God is literally our life, God is not merely a transcendent being, the Creator and Maker from above. Rather, "God is literally our life." He is the actual essence of our lives. One of the initial stages in the development of human consciousness is cognizance of the self. The basic emotions of self-preservation and love of self are dependent on the essential awareness of one's self. Delving even deeper, one discovers a "self within the self," which is literally a piece of God, the core of every person's vitality within. In other words, when a person searches within his body, he discovers the self that is his soul; when a person delves into his soul, he discovers the self that is God. This discovery is a progressive dawning of awareness, and therefore the contemplation must be undertaken "thoroughly" and "in the depths of his heart." It is not enough to think about this idea; it must be clear, comfortably settled in the mind, and anchored in the senses.
וְכַאֲשֶׁר הָאָדָם אוֹהֵב אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ וְחַיָּיו, כֵּן יֶאֱהַב אֶת ה׳
and in the same way that a person loves his own soul and life, so too he will love God Just as a person loves his life with the innate emotion of self-love, which did not need to be learned, He will love God in the same manner.
כַּאֲשֶׁר יִתְבּוֹנֵן וְיָשִׂים אֶל לִבּוֹ כִּי ה׳ הוּא נַפְשׁוֹ הָאֲמִיתִּית וְחַיָּיו מַמָּשׁ,
when he contemplates and recognizes that God is literally his true soul and life, To attain this love, one must relate to God not as a distant, foreign deity but as the inner nucleus of his being. When a person delves into his own self, he starts from the nebulous perception that identifies as a body, then continues deeper to the awareness of a self beyond the external expression of his corporeal being, until he deepens his love of self, touching on his inner will, contemplating deeper and deeper his innermost desires, until he discovers God. When a person discovers that God, in effect, is his soul, his self within self, the ultimate "I" of his personality, then his innate, primal love of self will be directed toward God. To put it more distinctly, this love of God is an expression of self-love, which may seem to border on egotism. However, as one hasidic master commented, "Love of God is also a form of desire, but to reach this desire, one must first break all of his other desires." In our context, the path to this love of God traverses love of self. One must first delve deeply into his concept of self until he shatters all previous notions of "Who am I?" and "What is my soul?" Through this, he comes to the realization that "my soul's soul is God." This approach is typical of the author of the Tanya (and to a certain degree, Hasidism in general). It is not a path based on the destruction of physicality, leading to instant inspiration and revelation. While he acknowledges that such paths exist, his doctrine does not advocate engaging in such methods of service. Rather than destroy that which already is, he prescribes deepening and developing one's existent being. Inherent in the feeling of self-love is an authentic kernel that leads beyond self to love of God.
כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר (זהר ח״ג סח, א) עַל פָּסוּק: ״נַפְשִׁי אִוִּיתִיךָ״ וגו׳ (ישעיה כו, ט),
as written in the Zohar (3:68a) regarding the verse "With my soul, I desired You... " (Isa. 26:9), The Zohar understands this verse as an exclamation directed toward one's own soul: "My soul! You, God, are my soul, and therefore I desired you." When a person encounters God up close and present within the innermost essence of his being, deeper than any definition or sense of self, when he feels God in the same way that he is aware of his own being, he experiences an arousal of love for God, as described in the verse: "I desired you." The author of the Tanya calls this the general approach, since it is not reserved for a select few, but rather anyone may undertake it. When any person peels away the husks of external expression, he discovers God, the primal "I" of his existence, in his innermost recesses, in the holy of holies of his being.
וְהֵן דֶּרֶךְ פְּרָט שֶׁכְּשֶׁיָּבִין וְיַשְׂכִּיל בִּגְדוּלָּתוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא דֶּרֶךְ פְּרָטִית,
or whether the contemplation is specific, where he understands and considers the greatness of the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, in detail, In addition to the general approach that everyone may undertake, there are individual paths, where a person may contemplate matters that demonstrate God's greatness to him in a personal and emotionally stirring way. As explained in several places,
כַּאֲשֶׁר יוּכַל שְׂאֵת בְּשִׂכְלוֹ וּמַה שֶּׁלְּמַעְלָה מִשִּׂכְלוֹ.
according to the capacity of his intellect and even that which is beyond his intellect. A person must contemplate not just what lies within his realm of comprehension but also that which lies beyond it. How can a person contemplate that which is beyond him? Though the nature of certain concepts may elude his grasp, he can still perceive that they exist. When a person reaches the upper limits of his perception, he catches a glimpse of that which lies beyond it. Though far from an intrinsic understanding, he does gain an appreciation of the value and significance of the concept. Contemplating that which exceeds one's comprehensive capacity infuses into "the capacity of his intellect" a degree of awe-inspired reverence and humble veneration for that which is beyond him.
וְאַחַר כָּךְ יִתְבּוֹנֵן בְּאַהֲבַת ה׳ הַגְּדוֹלָה וְנִפְלָאָה אֵלֵינוּ,
Subsequently, he should contemplate God's great and wondrous love for us, After contemplating God's grandeur and His transcendent, infinite, divine majesty, one should turn the focus of his contemplation to God's personal connection to us.
לֵירֵד לְמִצְרַיִם עֶרְוַת הָאָרֶץ,
that He would descend to Egypt, the land of impurity, God loves us to such an extent that He left, as it were, the supernal realm and descended to this confined lower reality, becoming totally hidden. His descent even reached the land of Egypt, a place of corruption and impurity – a place that represents the most morally weak, impure point in the universe.
לְהוֹצִיא נִשְׁמוֹתֵינוּ מִכּוּר הַבַּרְזֶל שֶׁהוּא הַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא רַחֲמָנָא לִיצְּלַן,
to extract our souls from the iron crucible, which is the sitra aḥara, literally, "the other side," referring to the forces of impurity, God save us, Far more than physical bondage, the Egyptian slavery was primarily bondage of the soul. The soul's exile in the impurity of Egypt constituted an absorption into the Egyptian essence, the epitome of impurity. The Jewish people descended to Egypt, not as wayfarers, but as settlers and contributors to Egyptian society. If the Egyptians had not isolated and enslaved them, the Jews most probably would have assimilated and been transformed into full-fledged Egyptians. This is the "iron crucible" of Egypt: It means hitting rock-bottom, reaching the melting point that dissolves everything else within it.
לְקָרְבֵנוּ אֵלָיו וּלְדַבְּקֵנוּ בִּשְׁמוֹ מַמָּשׁ,
and bring us close to Him and bind us to His very name, God descended, as it were, from the most transcendent, incomprehensibly exalted reality, where all of existence is reduced to virtually nothing, to Egypt, the paradigm of moral depravity, for the sole purpose of redeeming His people. His goal, beyond freeing us from spiritual and physical hell, was to bind us to His name. From the exodus onward, the Jewish people not only became the redeemed of God, but they would be associated with Him and known by His name.
וְהוּא וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד.
and He and His name are one. We treat a person's name as external and secondary to his essence, an arbitrary convention given to him by others. By contrast, God's name is a revelation of His essence that we can relate to. It is itself a sacred reality that expresses who He is and is connected to Him more than any description. Therefore, cleaving to His name is tantamount to cleaving to His very essence, as intimately as humanly possible.
דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁרוֹמְמָנוּ מִתַּכְלִית הַשִּׁפְלוּת וְהַטּוּמְאָה לְתַכְלִית הַקְּדוּשָּׁה וּגְדוּלָּתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ שֶׁאֵין לָהּ קֵץ וְתַכְלִית.
That is, He elevated us from the ultimate degradation and impurity to the ultimate holiness and to His greatness, which has no bounds or end. The central subject of contemplation here, the exodus from Egypt, is not merely a historical episode, as important as it may be. This event is so significant that God introduces Himself, upon giving the Torah, as "the Lord your God, who took you out of the land of Egypt" (Ex. 20:2) instead of the presumably more extraordinary "Creator of heaven and earth." Almost every time we turn to Him, we refer repeatedly to the "remembrance of the exodus from Egypt." On Shabbat and the festivals, we mention the exodus, whether obviously related or not. Every day, we perform the mitzvot of tzitzit and tefillin. The commandment of tzitzit itself mentions "the Lord your God, who took you out of the land of Egypt" (Num. 15:41). Tefillin contain four parashiyot of verses that include mention of the exodus: "Remember this day on which you departed from Egypt" (Ex. 13:3) and "With strength of hand, the Lord took us out from Egypt" (Ex. 3:14). The centrality of the exodus in Jewish life is not due merely to its expression of God's might. More than that, it is so central because it expresses God's love. In order to appreciate the full significance of the exodus, we must first gain somewhat of an understanding of God's infinite greatness. Only after we grasp His boundless exaltedness can we begin to appreciate His descent to Egypt on our behalf.
אֲזַי ״כַּמַּיִם הַפָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים״ תִּתְעוֹרֵר הָאַהֲבָה
Then, "as water reflects a face to the face" (Prov. 27:19), love will be aroused When a Jew contemplates and focuses on how much God loves us, then love for God will in turn be aroused in him, in the spirit of the verse "As water reflects a face to the face, so does the heart of a person to a person" (Prov. 27:19). The face a person presents to the water is the same face reflected back to him. The degree to which a person shows his love for another is the degree to which love is aroused in the other for him. A person cannot remain indifferent toward someone who loves him intensely.
בְּלֵב כָּל מַשְׂכִּיל וּמִתְבּוֹנֵן בְּעִנְיָן זֶה בְּעוּמְקָא דְּלִבָּא לֶאֱהוֹב אֶת ה׳ אַהֲבָה עַזָּה וּלְדָבְקָה בּוֹ בְּלֵב וָנֶפֶשׁ,
in the heart of anyone who considers and contemplates this subject in the depths of his heart, so that he will love God with an intense love and cleave to Him with heart and soul, To be privy to the love that is awakened "as water reflects a face to the face," we must first recognize God's love toward us by pondering and reflecting on it until our love for Him is kindled. As the author of the Tanya has explained, this contemplation entails first expanding one's mind to glimpse the transcendent greatness of God within the universe and beyond. Then one should reflect specifically on the exodus from Egypt and His love-inspired descent into the confines of the spiritual filth of Egypt to free us from there. When a person engages in such contemplation "thoroughly, in the depths of his heart," then he will inevitably feel his own love for God awakening from within.
כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר בִּמְקוֹמָהּ בַּאֲרִיכוּת (חלק א׳ פרק מו והלאה).
as will be explained in the relevant place at length (Likkutei Amarim, chap. 46). Since the author of the Tanya refers to the chapter of Likkutei Amarim as a later chapter in this work, this reference is evidence to the hasidic tradition that the author's original intention was to place Sha'ar HaYiḥud VeHa'emuna prior to the section of Likkutei Amarim.
וְהֵנָּה עִנְיַן אַהֲבָה זוֹ רָצָה מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם לִיטַּע בְּלֵב כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּפָּרָשָׁה: ״וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל״ וגו׳ (דברים י, יב). בַּפָּסוּק: ״הֵן לַה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ הַשָּׁמַיִם״ וגו׳ (שם יד), ״רַק בַּאֲבוֹתֶיךָ חָשַׁק״ וגו׳ (שם טו), ״וּמַלְתֶּם״ וגו׳ (שם טז), ׳׳בְּשִׁבְעִים נֶפֶשׁ״ וגו׳ (שם כב),(שם יא, א).
It is this second type of love achieved through contemplation that Moses, our teacher, may he rest in peace, wanted to instill in the heart of every Jew when he stated the passage that begins, "Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you?... " (Deut. 10:12–11:22), in the verse "Behold, to the Lord your God are the heavens, and the heavens of heavens, the earth and everything that is in it. Yet the Lord desired your forefathers... " (Deut. 10:14–15). Therefore, "remove the obstruction of your heart, and do not stiffen your neck anymore" (Deut. 10:16). "With seventy people, your ancestors descended to Egypt, and now the Lord your God has rendered you as the stars of the heavens in abundance" (Deut. 10:22). And so, "you shall love the Lord your God... " (Deut. 11:1). Although God is in "the heavens and the heavens of heavens," He descended from on high to take us out of Egypt, only because "the Lord desired your forefathers." Through contemplating all these ideas, just "as water reflects a face to the face," one attains "You shall love the Lord your God." More than gratitude to God for taking us out of Egypt, love for God is automatically aroused in response to the realization that God loves us.
וְלָכֵן, סִיֵּים דְּבָרָיו עַל אַהֲבָה זוֹ: ״אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם לַעֲשׂוֹתָהּ״ (דברים יא, כב), שֶׁהִיא אַהֲבָה עֲשׂוּיָה בַּלֵּב
Therefore, Moses concluded his discourse about this type of love with the words "For if you observe this entire commandment that I command you to perform it, to love the Lord your God... " (Deut. 11:22), referring to the type of love generated in the heart Since these verses describe the love engendered by contemplation, Moses concluded his speech about this second type of love with a verse that refers to a commandment: "... to perform it." This verse is clearly not referring to the first type of love, which is kindled by itself, naturally generated. Rather, it refers to the love that one must generate by cultivating his perceptive capacities for it, engaging with it, and amplifying that love within.
עַל יְדֵי הַבִּינָה וְהַדַּעַת בִּדְבָרִים הַמְעוֹרְרִים אֶת הָאַהֲבָה.
through the understanding and knowledge of matters that arouse the love. "Understanding" refers to contemplation, to pure intellectual comprehension. "Knowledge" refers to impressing the ideas on the heart so that they become real and relevant. Contemplating the aforementioned subjects is what arouses the love. Therefore, it is appropriate to speak of the "performance" of love of God through contemplation and deep thought.
וְעַל זֶה צִוָּה כְּבָר תְּחִלָּה: ״וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם עַל לְבָבֶךָ״ (דברים ו, ו). כְּדֵי שֶׁעַל יְדֵי זֶה תָּבֹא לְאַהֲבָה אֶת ה׳ כִּדְאִיתָא בְּסִפְרֵי עַל פָּסוּק זֶה.
This is the intent of Moses' previous directive, "These matters that I command you today shall be upon your heart" (Deut. 6:6), that through this you will come to love God, as Sifrei states regarding this verse. "These matters... shall be upon your heart" means that when a person devotes himself to delving into these matters with concentration and focus, he lays the groundwork for attaining this level of love.
וְהִנֵּה, עַל אַהֲבָה זוֹ הַשֵּׁנִית שַׁיָּיךְ לְשׁוֹן מִצְוָה וְצִוּוּי, דְּהַיְינוּ לָשׂוּם לִבּוֹ וְדַעְתּוֹ בִּדְבָרִים הַמְעוֹרְרִים אֶת הָאַהֲבָה.
With regard to this second type of love, generated through focused contemplation, it is appropriate to employ the language of commanding and instructing, which entails applying one's heart and mind to matters that arouse love. The commandment to love God is not directed at the emotion of love, since emotion cannot be mandated. The intention of the mitzva is rather that a person should lay the intellectual infrastructure to engender this love. Commanding a person to think about certain matters is reasonable, because thought is one of the faculties that is under his control. While a person is incapable of generating emotions, he can lay the intellectual foundation necessary for its cultivation. God's love for us is alive and existent. We must only reflect on the fact that we are loved so that, as water reflects a face back to that face, our most natural response will well up within. The love engendered by plumbing the depths of the self and sublimating that self to allow for the expression of quintessential self-love – the first aspect of the second type of love – exists intrinsically in the soul. One need only prepare the theoretical constructs – to come to the recognition that God is his soul, as discussed above – so that this love may be unleashed and actualized within. In light of this, the intent of the Torah's injunction "And you shall love God" means "Reflect on the matter and actively develop the mind-set that inspires you to love God." The command, then, is not to love but rather to engage in the necessary preparation that will facilitate that love.
אֲבָל בְּאַהֲבָה רִאשׁוֹנָה, שֶׁהִיא שַׁלְהֶבֶת הָעוֹלָה מֵאֵלֶיהָ, לֹא שַׁיָּיךְ לְשׁוֹן צִוּוּי וּמִצְוָה כְּלָל.
However, with regard to the first type of love, which is like a flame that rises on its own, terms of commanding and instructing are not appropriate whatsoever. This type of love, stemming from the inherent power of the soul, bounds forth on its own. This love cannot be the result of a commandment or active effort, because if love would flourish from a given effort, it would by definition not be this level of love, which "rises on its own."
וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא שֶׁהִיא מַתַּן שְׂכָרָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים,
Moreover, it is, in fact, the reward granted to tzaddikim, One cannot be commanded to cultivate this level of love because it is not an act of service that a person may perform. Essentially, it is a reward. Granted to the righteous as a result of their service, this love of God is a gift from Him to those who require nothing more from this world, for whom "nearness to God is good" (Ps. 73:28).
לִטְעוֹם מֵעֵין עוֹלָם הַבָּא בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה,
enabling them to taste a sample of the World to Come in this world. The World to Come is the realm where reward is bestowed, where "the righteous sit with their crowns upon their heads, enjoying the splendor of the Divine Presence" (Berakhot 17a). If a person merits delighting in God's love and presence during his lifetime, then he is experiencing life in the World to Come while still in this world. This is the delight described by the Mishna with the words "One hour of tranquility in the World to Come is better than an entire lifetime in this world" (Avot 4:17). The means necessary to reach this state, to attain the first type of love, are identical to the conditions required to attain the World to Come: refining the physical body and engaging in Torah and good deeds. If a person accomplishes this, if he is able to engage in Torah and good deeds and refine his physicality to such an extent that his neshama is manifest and the soul's natural yearning for God is evoked, what more is he lacking in order to attain the World to Come? The World to Come is not the same as a geographical location; it is not a place where one must physically go. Rather, the World to Come is a dimension, a level, that a person attains. Anyone who achieves this state even while he is alive and in his body is already in the World to Come.
שֶׁעָלֶיהָ נֶאֱמַר: ״עֲבוֹדַת מַתָּנָה אֶתֵּן אֶת כְּהוּנַּתְכֶם״ (במדבר יח, ז), כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר בִּמְקוֹמָהּ (חלק א׳ פרק יד, מג).
Regarding this, the verse states, "As a service that is a gift I give your priesthood" (Num. 18:7), as will be explained in the relevant place (Likkutei Amarim, chaps. 14, 43). The mention of priesthood alludes to a distinction made in hasidic works between the service of the priests and the Levites.
אַךְ הִנֵּה יָדוּעַ לַיּוֹדְעִים
Indeed, those who are initiated know This expression corresponds to two aspects of knowing. "Those who are initiated" refers to those who have knowledge of the concept in theory. "Those who are initiated know" refers to those who know these matters from personal experience.
טַעֲמָא דִּקְרָא מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״כִּי שֶׁבַע יִפּוֹל צַדִּיק וָקָם״ (משלי כד, טז).
the underlying principle of the verse "As the righteous falls seven times and rises" (Prov. 24:16). The careful and suggestive wording, that "those who are initiated know" the meaning of this verse, hints at an idea that the author of the Tanya does not want to state explicitly. If the verse is understood according to its plain meaning, one is liable to arrive at the borderline heretical conclusion that a righteous person must fall in the sense that a sinner falls. To ensure that the verse will be understood with the necessary degree of subtlety, the author of the Tanya begins his explanation with the cautious expression, "those who are initiated know." Only then does he develop the theoretical underpinnings implicated by the verse so that it is properly clarified.
וּבִפְרָט שֶׁהָאָדָם נִקְרָא מְהַלֵּךְ וְלֹא עוֹמֵד,
This is especially so, since a human being is referred to as one who walks and not one who stands still, This concept is implied by the words that the angel of God said to Joshua the High Priest: "I will set you walking among these standing" (Zech. 3:7). "These standing" refers to the angels, because they constantly remain on the same level, whereas a person, by nature, walks and advances.
וְצָרִיךְ לֵילֵךְ מִמַּדְרֵגָה לְמַדְרֵגָה וְלֹא לַעֲמוֹד בְּמַדְרֵגָה אַחַת לְעוֹלָם.
for he must advance from level to level and never remain on the same level. Even if a person attains the level of angels, he must keep ascending rather than becoming complacent. This is why the Talmud states, "Torah scholars [i.e., the righteous] have rest neither in this world nor in the World to Come" (Berakhot 64a), because they are constantly progressing, going "from one success to another" (Ps. 84:8). There is a perpetual directive that urges every person, by virtue of his being human, to constantly grow onward and upward. One must never remain static. Either he is going up or going down. There is no middle ground in which a person remains the same. However, this obligation and privilege of constant ascent is also fraught with dangers.
וּבֵין מַדְרֵגָה לְמַדְרֵגָה, טֶרֶם שֶׁיַּגִּיעַ לְמַדְרֵגָה עֶלְיוֹנָה מִמֶּנָּה, הוּא בִּבְחִינַת נְפִילָה מִמַּדְרֵגָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה.
Between levels, before he can reach the next level, he is considered in a state of falling from the previous level. A person is not capable of holding on to two levels simultaneously. When reaching for the next level, he must release his grasp on his previous level in order to obtain the higher state. With any shift from one state to another, there is always a point of instability. When a person is about to step off the shore to enter the sea, there is a moment in which he loses his balance. When a person wants to acquire a new skill or make significant progress within a discipline, the first step is to forget that which he knew until now. Not only won't his previous knowledge help him, it will actually confuse and hinder him from acquiring the new material. In any field, be it mathematics or history, if a person does not forget the previous set of rules and principles through which he operated and thought until now, he cannot make progress. Some people by nature are unable to forget. These are the same people who have difficulty progressing. The point of transition is always the point of falling. Anyone familiar with this experience knows the feeling of losing everything, the feeling that everything learned until this point is worthless in light of the new, as yet unknown perspective. The fall between levels is not just a function of human progress. Any passage from one essence to another, from one point to another, crosses through ayin, nothingness. There is no direct passage from "something" to "something." Even seemingly simple transitions entail intermediary, nebulous stages whose nature and purpose are totally obscured. There is always a void between two points. Between each step, as between rungs of a ladder, lies empty space. To advance, a person must take the leap and pass through the void, but in that instant, he is on no level at all.
אַךְ ״כִּי יִפּוֹל לֹא יוּטָל״ כְּתִיב (תהלים לז, כד).
Yet, as it is written, "when he stumbles, he will not fall down" (Ps. 37:24). Even "when he stumbles" and loses his balance, "he will not fall" completely to the ground. When a person runs, he must enter a state of imbalance. If he would stop running in midair, he would collapse. Even everyday walking demands a temporary loss of balance in order to develop a new equilibrium. That dangerous intermediary stage can cause a fall, but one who keeps advancing level by level, continuing step after step, even "when he stumbles, he will not fall down."
וְאֵינָהּ נִקְרֵאת נְפִילָה אֶלָּא לְגַבֵּי מַדְרֵיגָתוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹנָה וְלֹא לְגַבֵּי שְׁאָר כָּל אָדָם חַס וְשָׁלוֹם,
It is only considered a fall relative to his previous level and not in comparison to everyone else, God forbid, The Talmud relates the story of Rabbi Zeira, who, upon arriving in the Land of Israel from Babylon, undertook one hundred fasts so that he would forget the Babylonian method of studying the Talmud. In this way, it would not hinder him as he began to study in the style of the Land of Israel.
שֶׁאַף עַל פִּי כֵן הוּא לְמַעְלָה מִכָּל הָאָדָם בַּעֲבוֹדָתוֹ כִּי נִשְׁאָר בָּהּ בְּחִינַת רְשִׁימוּ מִמַּדְרֵיגָתוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹנָה.
since he nevertheless surpasses all other people in his service of God, because a remnant of his previous level remains in his service. When a great person forgets that which he has learned as he advances, this does not entail a total loss of his previously internalized knowledge. It is not like a deletion from his soul; rather, the loss affects only his conscious awareness. Likewise, even if a person is no longer standing on a given level that he toiled to achieve, he does not lose it altogether. A vestige always remains. The impression left on his soul cannot be erased. The Talmud's warning to "be careful to continue to respect an elder who has forgotten his Torah knowledge due to circumstances beyond his control" (Berakhot 8b) expresses the practical and tangible nature of this soul-imprint. Even though he is no longer a Torah scholar, he must still be respected for the Torah that he once possessed. As the Talmud goes on to state, "Both the Tablets of the Covenant and the broken tablets are placed in the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple." Even though the first tablets were broken, their intrinsic sanctity demands respect. An elder who forgot the Torah knowledge he once possessed is likened to these broken tablets. He must still be respected because his study must have left some indelible impression on his soul. Even if he currently does not know or remember what he learned, vestiges of it remain. The same applies to a person who was once on a certain spiritual level. Even if he falls from that level, he is still more spiritually accomplished than one who never attained it.
אַךְ עִיקָּרָהּ מֵאַהֲבָה שֶׁנִּתְחַנֵּךְ וְהוּרְגַּל בָּהּ מִנְּעוּרָיו בְּטֶרֶם שֶׁהִגִּיעַ לְמַדְרֵגַת צַדִּיק. וְזֶה שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״גַּם כִּי יַזְקִין״ וגו׳.
However, the core of his service stems from the love that he was educated and trained to attain from his youth, prior to attaining the level of tzaddik, and that is the meaning of the verse "Even when he grows old, he will not turn from it" (Prov. 22:6). The path of spiritual growth is complex, with its ups, downs, and many pitfalls. If a person lacks a solid base from the outset, the fall between levels threatens to collapse into a total breakdown. Even the indelible vestige of the previous level that he toiled to attain does not sufficiently carry him through, since he is not currently actualizing himself at that level. He needs a solid foundational core in his soul, not subject to doubt or dispute, a baseline so fundamental to the essential makeup of his self that it is totally immune to debate. When a person advances from level to level, he does not transform his entire essence. Certain permanent acquisitions he has made become hardwired in his soul from youth, before he set out on "his way" of progression from level to level in his service of God. Then, "even when he grows old" and he is in a state of falling from his previous level, "he will not turn from it." The constructs of childhood will not be sufficient for the road ahead. He needs to grow up, to advance to higher levels. Yet in order for him to embark on the path of the righteous and face the dangers that lie ahead, his soul must have a stable inner bedrock from which falling is impossible. Only after that foundation has been properly laid through orderly and incremental study, called in this context "ḥinukh katan," education of a child, and the basic levels of awareness and spiritual sensitivity become implanted in his heart permanently, can he truly progress.
וְהֵנָּה רֵאשִׁית הַדְּבָרִים הַמְעוֹרְרִים הָאַהֲבָה וְהַיִּרְאָה, וִיסוֹדָן – הִיא הָאֱמוּנָה הַטְּהוֹרָה וְנֶאֱמָנָה בְּיִחוּדוֹ וְאַחְדוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִתְעַלֶּה.
And so the primary element that arouses love and fear, which are the roots of divine service, and serves as their foundation, is the pure and staunch faith in the unity and oneness of God, may He be blessed and exalted. "Pure and staunch faith" is not just a poetic expression.